Mayonnaise and dressings sold by mass retailers usually contain preservatives and therefore have a relatively long shelf life, making it possible to use them over an extended period of time. For this reason, they are sold in relatively large containers. However, because preservatives are not added when mayonnaise, dressing and the like are made in ordinary households, it is desirable that these be made in smaller quantities than those of market-available containers for mayonnaise and the like, and that these be consumed quickly. It is a matter of course that conventional industrial tools for preparing mayonnaise serve to prepare relatively large amounts of mayonnaise, but this is also true of conventional household tool for preparing mayonnaise, in which stirring blades are inserted into a cylindrical container, the blades being large enough to fill the container, and the ingredients are stirred.
In this case, if one reduces the amount of ingredients and fills the container to 20 or 30% full with ingredients, in order to make a small amount of mayonnaise, the ingredients will just adhere to the inner circumferential face of the container when stirred, meaning that the ingredients cannot be properly stirred. Accordingly, it is necessary to fill the container to at least approximately 70% full with ingredients. In order to fill the container to approximately 70% full when relatively small amounts of ingredients are added, it is necessary that the bottom of the container have a small area. That is to say, the container must be a narrow cylinder. However, if the container is a narrow cylinder, and the stirring blades are rotated with this filled 70% full with ingredients, the ingredients will fully receive the rotational force of the stirring blades and thus, as a result of the centrifugal force, the ingredients will travel up the inner circumferential face of the container, and spill out from the container. In order to prevent spilling, it is desirable that the distance between the stirring blades and the inner circumferential face of the container be increased, but in this case it is not possible to fully and efficiently mix the dressing. Furthermore, there exist hand mixers for general household use, which serve to stir relatively small quantities of food stuff, but these are primarily directed at stirring in combination with grinding of solids such as beans, small fish and sesame seeds, and these are unsuited to making mayonnaise and dressing.
Furthermore, conventional stirring equipment for mayonnaise and dressing is not capable of maintaining fine particles of oil and egg yolk, or oil and water, which are the ingredients, in a homogeneous state. This not only results in inferior taste and texture, but disadvantages have been noted such as the emulsified state only being maintained for a short time, with the ingredients rapidly separating and returning to their original states.
Patent Document 1 JP-52-108281-A
Patent Document 2 JP-2005-052512-A
Conventional mayonnaise preparation tools are not intended for the preparation of relatively small amounts of mayonnaise for ordinary households. Furthermore, they are not capable of maintaining fine particles of oil and egg yolk, or oil and water, which are the ingredients, in a uniform state. Thus, the present invention is directed at providing a stirring tool which is capable of fully and efficiently mixing ingredients such as mayonnaise, so that fine particles of the ingredients are maintained in a uniform state, even with relatively small amounts of ingredients.